Her Devious Mate

Overreaction

We walked into a crowded lunchroom and headed towards the table we usually sit at. Tom, Vince and Jason were already sitting there and conversing about some race going down this weekend.

Sarah was sitting next to Cassie on the opposite side, and they were chatting away as well. I saw Blake relax a little when he saw his sister happily chatting with her new friend. Jason was the first to see me. He turned around, and all the boys shuffled, making more room for Adam, Blake and me.

Adam put his bag down and looked over at Cassie. Sarah had a tray of food in front of her, but Cassie didn’t.

“Sarah, where are your manners? Why doesn’t Cassie have any food?” His voice was angrier than needed.

“She said she wanted to wait for Blake. Will you chill out?!” Sarah replied. Adam’s face relaxed a little.

“Why can’t you be sweet like her and wait for your brother too?”

“Because my brother is an asshole, and he can look after himself”, Sarah replied and laughed. Adam grabbed her arm and shook her hard!

As we watched the siblings argue, I noticed Blake signal Cassie. They both got up and walked towards the food line. I got up slowly and followed them. As they got to the food line, Blake picked up a tray.

“Blake, how much money do we have? Will it get us enough to eat?” asked Cassie quietly.

“No, Cass. I only have enough for maybe a slice of pizza and an apple. I’ll have the apple, and you can have the pizza, okay. Did you bring your water bottle ?” She nodded, showing him her bottle.

They purchased the pizza and apple and walked to the water fountain to fill up her bottle. Blake chucked down an entire bottle of water before refilling it and handing it to Cassie. She did the same and refilled the bottle.

“What are you gonna eat then, Blakey?” She asked. She was so sweet, looking out for her brother.

“I’ll try to eat something at the bar when I go to work. I’ll get paid tomorrow, so we will be fine for the rest of the week. Just adjust for today,” he said, and they walked back to the table.

No way! Was it this bad for them? Didn’t Blake say he had an uncle?? Why wasn’t he giving them money for food? I was angry! My mate wasn’t just going to have an apple and water for lunch.

*Adam, come here, now* I mind linked.

Within a second, Adam was next to me.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking worried.

I filled him in and grabbed a tray. He grabbed one too, and we started filling it up. I got a few pizzas and chips and everything I could fit in it. We paid for it and walked back to the table.

“Hey, guys, since it’s Blake and Cassie’s first day. Lunch is on us today”. I said, placing the tray in the middle. Behind me, Jayden turned up with a tray full of food as well.

*I got you, sis,* he mind linked and smiled at me. He was an ass, but sometimes he made me proud.

I had grabbed two little plates from the counter. I put two pizzas and some other stuff in it and placed them in front of Blake and Cassie. “This is for the guest of honours,” I said and picked up a pizza and started eating.

Blake’s face light up at the food, and so did Cassie’s. My insides were so happy seeing Blake smile. They both dug in, and l settled down next to Blake on the bench. Adam walked over and sat down next to Cassie.

"So, how's your day been so far?" I asked.

"Cassie, I see you've met the bundle of energy over there", pointing at Sarah, who stuck her tough out at me.

"I wouldn't do that, Sarah. You have no idea how sexy that looks" Jay winked at her, which immediately made her blush. Just because Jay had to stay away from Sarah didn't mean he couldn't flirt.

"Gross Jay. She's my sister," Adam whined and reached over and hit Jay on his head. I laughed and heard Blake, Cassie, and Sarah join in.

"You wouldn't like it if I flirted with your smoking hot sister now, would you ?" He questioned and sent me a wink.

"Oh please, Adam, you know it doesn't bother me if you flirt with Rosy. I'm surprised that you haven't banged her already," Jay replied and rolled his eyes.

"Jay, shut up, or I will hurt you bad", I whisper yelled.

Sarah, Blake and the rest of the guys laughed, and Adam just sat there with his mouth open in shock. Cassie just stared at her hands in front of her. I got a feeling she didn't like that comment.

"Jayden, just because you want to bang his sister doesn't mean you put your sister up for bribing", I hissed back.

I saw that what I said affected Jay because he just lowered his gaze. He wanted Sarah. He wanted her so badly, and everyone could see it. But until Sarah changed, she was off-limits to him. I regretted what I said when I saw his expression change.

"Besides, I doubt Adam could handle me. I like it rough and hard," I said, trying to contain my laughter. But what I had said seemed to work its magic as Jay burst out laughing with Adam and the rest of the boys joining in.

"So, the virgin likes it rough and hard, now does she?" Adam added between his laughs. "Rosy, I suggest you take it nice and slow first before taking it rough and hard," he said through his fit of laughter.

I flipped him the finger and rolled my eyes before going back to my eating.

"You’re a virgin?" asked the voice that affected me so bad right now. Oh god, I forgot about Blake being present. I turned just a bit, so I was facing him. His expression handle pure shock and surprise. Did he expect me to be a slut or something? Did I seem so out there to him, and this pissed me off?

"Yeah, I am. Why? Are you allergic to virgins or something?" I asked. Anger evident in my voice. Adam and Jay both knew this was a touchy topic for me. I was a commitment kind of girl, and since I learned about the whole mating thing for werewolves, I didn't want to be taken advantage of by some random. My mum once told me that the way my mate would make me feel, no other man could meet those standards. I wasn't going to let myself be in a position to compare my mate with someone else.

Blake seemed to notice that he had pissed me off.

"I didn't mean to offend you Rosy, I just won't have expected you to be a virgin," he said and lowered his gaze.

Great, so my mate thought I was a w***e. Isn't that just fantastic?

He doesn't even know me well enough to judge that. Did the minor incident with Chris this morning make him feel like this?

"Looks can be deceiving, Blake,” I said through my teeth before getting up and walking towards the water fountain. My head was pounding. Yes, I had a great figure. I wasn’t cocky; I just knew this because we werewolves were strong and had to keep in shape. I knew guys talked about me, and sometimes this came off as a bad thing, but I didn’t care. But what Blake said got to me. The bell rang as I finished my water.

I went to my locker and grabbed my books for chemistry and geography. I left my bag on the table, so I mind linked Adam to bring it for me.

I put up my mind walls so I could think in peace. How could Blake think about me like that? I walked into the chem lab and walked to my usual desk at the back of the classroom. I placed my books and arms on the desk and rested my head on my arm. I kept thinking about what Blake had said. Why it bothered me so much, I couldn't figure it out. Blake wasn't the first guy to think like this about me. I hung around boys all the time, and I even played for a boys team. People talked about me being a slut all the time, so I quickly got used to it and ignored the remarks. But why did Blake's word affected me so much? I shouldn't be this vulnerable to him.

My thoughts were interrupted when the bell went signalling it’s class time. Chemistry and geography were both my favourites, and I knew Blake was in it too. Adam had always been my lab partner, but Jay wanted to pass this year, so I agreed to Adam being his partner and getting some random. Soon everyone started to pile into the classroom. I remained as I was, not lifting my head. As the chatter in the room increased, I felt Adam's presence. So I lifted my head. Jay and Adam walked in with Blake in tow. They introduced him to Mrs Haynes, who had also arrived now. While Blake spoke to Mrs Haynes, Jay and Adam walked towards me and took the seat in front of me.

The desk was hightop workbenches which only two people could sit on. The set-up was like this because of all the experiments we did in class. Adam sat down in front of me and turned around.

"You ok there, Rosy?' he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just lost my chem partner. I think I will survive" I smirked. Adam laughed at that, and Jay showed me the finger. I rolled my eyes at him and turned to the front as Mrs Haynes called the class to order.

"Alright then. Welcome back to another year of exciting Chemistry students. Before we move on, I would like to introduce you to Blake. His new here, so please to make him feel welcome." she said and smiled at all of us. She looked around the class as if she was looking for something. Her eyes swiped around and landed on me. I straightened up and waited to see why I had caught her attention.

"Blake, why don't you go sit next to Rosy at the back there. She will be your lab partner for the rest of the year and let me assure you, she is one of my best Chemistry students," she says with a proud smile.

I know I should be excited about this, but right now, I was in a dilemma about this boy, and she made him my Chemistry partner. God, please save me ...

Jay and Adam both turned and gave me a wicked smile. I pretended I didn't see it and focused on opening my books to preparing for the lesson. Moments later, the chair next to mine screeched, and Blake took his seat. I gave him a side glance and turned my attention to the lesson Mrs Haynes was taking. I wrote down the necessary notes and tried not to pay any attention to the boy sitting next to me. I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt my phone vibrate. I discretely took out my phone and placed it on my lap. I wasn't surprised to see that Adam had sent me a message. I unlocked my iPhone and proceeded to read the message.

# Give the guy a break; he feels terrible about what he said to you# wrote Adam.

I shifted on my chair and leaned back, so I was more comfortable.

#Is he now? When did he tell you this exactly? and why aren't you using our mind link to talk?# I replied.

# Well, dufus, you have your mind blocked, so I can't get through, and he told me after you stormed off at lunch# he replied.

I put my phone back into my pocket and cleared my head.

* When did he tell you this exactly?* I asked Adam through our mind link.

*Oh, thanks for just wandering into my head.* he replied

*After you stormed off at lunch, so he is going to apologise to you later*...

*Right... Adam, you’re the wise one, so you tell me. Why is Blake's comment affecting me so much? I mean, Cindy and them call me a slut daily, but I've gotten used to it, and I don't care anymore. But when Blake said that today, it pissed me off. Why?* I asked.

*Rosy, he's your mate. He's the guy that was prepared just for you. Now no matter what the world says, if that guy says something about you, of course, it was going to hurt. You upset because you want to please him, make him happy, but his first impression of you was that you’re a slut, and that affects you. Does that make sense?* he replied.

*WOW, someone’s wise* I laughed.

* Now that, I am* he replied.*

Just then, Mrs Haynes asked Adam a question, and our conversation died down. Once Mrs Haynes was done with her questions. She handed us some test tubes and a sheet of paper in which we were to record and identify chemical reactions.

“Alrighty, classwork with your partners and get answers and test as many chemical reactions as you can,” Mrs Haynes said and sat down at her table.

I turned towards Blake, and he gave me an awkward smile.

“You don’t need to apologise for anything; I overreacted. For someone that gets a lot of guy attention, it’s hard for people not to think that I go around. But it’s not the case. So it’s not your fault, and I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I’m sorry,” I said and looked at his expression change.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, especially with how nice you’ve been to both my sister and me. Also, I didn’t explain myself correctly before. I was shocked because you're beautiful. I would have thought someone would have swept you off your feet by now, and I meant like a boyfriend, not transom people. But I was very wrong to assume something like that,” he replied and looked firm at the paper in his hand.

“Trust me, many boys have tried,” Adam said before I could reply, and Jayden started laughing. Blake joined him, and I reached over the table and hit him on his head.

An hour later, the class was over. We did teamwork instead of working as partners. Mrs Haynes didn’t seem to mind since we were doing work. Before we left the classroom, the principal had called an emergency meeting, and so our last class was cut short, and we were allowed to go home early.

“Adam, can you go find a coach and see if training is still on?” I said, and Adam grabbed his bag and walked towards the coach’s office.

Blake and I walked towards our locker to pack up for the day. I pulled out stuff I needed for homework and got rid of what I didn’t need.

"Rosy, training is cancelled. You wanna go home and practise a bit?" Adam came back with his training bag slung over his shoulders.

"Oh man! Yeah, okay, let’s go then. No point in staying around here”. I grabbed my bag and closed my locker.

Sarah and Cassie walked up to us before we got to the main door.

"Blake, you and Cassie wanna join us?" asked Adam.

“Nah, man, we gotta get home. I have worked at 5 pm, so I’ll get my school stuff done before I go. Thanks for the offer, though,” Blake said as Cassie looked at him and turned paler than before.

What was going on?

“Well, how about we drop you guys home? You won’t have to take that stinky bus,” I offered.

“Oh, I guess that would be great. It gets really hot in the bus, and the damn windows won’t open,” Blake laughed.

“Alright, lemme go swap cars with Jay. He brought his Jeep. We won’t fit in my car,” I said and walked out to the carpark towards our cars.

I spotted Jay with Sarah and Jason near Jason's ranger rover. I walked up to them.

"Jay, I might need to swap my rapid for your jeep," I told him and placed my bags on top of Jason's van.

"Why?" he asked.

"Adam wants to go home a train a bit since training got cancelled, but we’re gonna drop Blake and Cassie home on the way.”

He put his arm around Sarah and pulled her close to his side, and it looked like he did it subconsciously. Sarah stared up at Jay. She was used to his daily flirts, but this time it looked like she felt something. Her posture went rigid and then calmed down. I noticed that because I always had my eyes on them. I didn't want Jay doing anything that got him in trouble with Sarah's parents.

"Bro, I don't think she likes the way you're holding her," said Adam in a playful way as he walked up with Blake and Cassie. Jay froze and slowly moved his arm.

"Actually, brother, I liked it," said Sarah. Jason and Adam's jaws dropped, and Jay just looked at Sarah with an awe expression. Then it hit me. The full moons this weekend, therefore since Sarah had reached prime age, she might be making her first change. I smiled at that thought.

“Someone might get lucky this weekend", I blurted out.

“Huh?" asked Adam.

“Nothing, don’t worry. Jay, you can take Sarah home in my car.”

I chucked my keys at Jay, and in return, he tossed me his Jeep's keys. I picked up my bag and started to walk to the Jeep. I remembered something, so I stopped and walked back to Jay. I grabbed his collar and pushed him against Jason's rover.

"Let me remind you that the car I have given you is my baby. If I see a single scratch on it, I will make sure you can never reproduce it ever in your life. AM I UNDERSTOOD???" I hissed. Jay nodded and gulped. "good," I said and let go of him and walked towards the Jeep.

The boys all burst out laughing, and Blake and Cassie joined them.

Blake and Cassie had already taken their seats at the back. After I got in, I adjusted the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Cassie's expression in it. She looked scared. Did I scare her?

*Adam, why does Cassie look scared?* I asked through our mind link.

* I don't know* he replied and shrugged.

I started the van and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Alrighty, which way is home?” I asked.

“Do you know where the rangers club is?” He asked, and I nodded.

“Well, go towards that, and it’s the first right turn right after it.”

Wow, that was super close to the woods. That area wasn’t very safe cause the local junkies loved to party around the forest boundaries. There were lots of homeless people living with the trailer owners and some really run-down houses. I thought back to my dream where the house I found Blake in was very run down too.

As I turned at the lights towards the rangers club, I remembered, “Hey Blake, you said you had work tonight. Where do you work?” I asked. I remember hearing him say something about a bar.

“The local bar. Storm moon. It’s a funny name to have for a bar,” he replied.

I looked at Adam, and we both burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Blake asked, looking shocked.

“No, no, nothing. You were right. It’s a funny name for a bar,” Adam said. It was funny because we knew the bar owners and why it had a name like that. But Blake didn’t need to know just yet.

As I turned the first right turn, we saw all the miserable-looking houses. I had grown up in this town, and I was not too fond of this area. It was the trash of the city, and I just wanted to turn back around.

“You guys live out here?” Adam said. I could hear the concern in his voice; concern for Cassie's wellbeing

The place was disgusting. The roads were covered in rubbish, and the houses were run down and trailers with broken windows and doors. The grass was overgrown, and there were overgrown trees and shrubs everywhere.

People sitting or walking around looked like they hadn’t showered in weeks or months and didn’t seem to care.

The houses got smaller and smaller, and panic in me started to build up.

*Adam, we've got to get them out of here. They can’t live here. This place is disgusting* I mindlinked him.

*I know! Why the hell would they come here? I’m sure there were other houses in town they could have rented* he sounded angry.

“Blake, which once is your place?” I asked out loud.

“Keep going right to the end. It’s an old cottage,” he said in a small voice.

I looked in the mirror, and Cassie had sunk into her seat. She looked terrified.

As I got to the end, the cottage came into view. It was at the end of a long driveway. The driveway had overgrown grass covering it, but a car parked in front of the main entrance.

*Adam, it’s the cottage from my dreams*

Adam looked at me and then at the cottage. His face was as pale as Cassie’s was. If my dream was correct, we knew what was happening to them behind the walls of this run-down cottage. I heard Blake and Cassie shuffling in the back and their door opening.

I couldn’t move. Everything from my dream was coming true. The boy, the girl, the house. I’m sure if I walked in, the furniture and the stairs would be the same as well.

I put my window down.

“I’ll come to get you guys for school in the morning. Be ready by 8 am,” I managed to say.

“ Oh, Rosy, thank you, but you don’t have to,” said Cassie. For the first time since we left school, she had spoken.

“I wasn’t asking Cass. I’m telling you. I’ll see you at 8 am, okay?” I used my firm voice, and she and Blake nodded.

“See you at the bar tonight, Blake,” said Adam as I pulled away.

“Adam, what do we do?” I asked him.

“I don’t know, Rose, but we gotta do something. They can’t live in that s**t hole. Especially if the guy in your dreams is their uncle.”

I thought back to my dream. I could never see the clear face of the guy that was hurting them. It was always blurry. Blake and Cassie’s looks were crystal clear.

I drove towards the packhouse and parked Jay’s Jeep in the garage.

“We may have to start taking your Jeep now, buddy,” I said to Adam as we pulled our bags out.

“I am more than happy to do that. Firstly I hate your driving, and second, anything to make sure Cassie never gets into that school bus again,” he said while scrunching his face. Our jobs were to make sure our mates were looked after and had the best of everything.

“f**k I didn’t ask much about his uncle. We could have done some digging on him,” I said as we walked into the house.

“Who’s uncle are you talking about?” Came a loud voice. s**t! I keep forgetting everyone can hear us around here!

“Daddy!” I said and walked up to him. He opened his arms and hugged me just like this morning.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” He asked as he released me and looked closely.

“Interesting, actually,” I said and chuckled. Adam behind me chuckled as well. Dad looked at us both like we were crazy.

“I’m gonna go see mum Rosy,” he said, bowed his head to dad and walked away.

“So, what’s this interesting thing that’s happened?” Dad asked as we walked towards his office.

Once inside, I closed the door and sat on the couch while he poured himself a drink.

“I found my mate,” I said quietly, looking everywhere but at his face.

I heard him gasp, and the next thing, he was sitting next to me.

“You what?! Rosy Hunny, that’s amazing,” he said, his voice ecstatic.

“It is, dad, but we have a problem” I looked at him, and he nodded for me to carry on.

“Well his human to start with. The Moon Goddess has some explaining to do, and he also is the same guy that’s been haunting me in my dreams.” Realisation flashed across dads face as he leaned back on the couch.

“Everything is the same. He has a sister, it’s the same house, and it’s in the dodgy Greenwood’s neighbourhood,” I continued.

“Turns out his sister is Adam’s mate. There’s something about her that screams pain and torture”.

Dad just listened. I could see his brain ticking. He looked like he was solving the worlds most complicated puzzle in his head.

“Dad...”

“Hunny, I'm so glad you found your mate, but it sounds like there will be difficulties. He's human and obviously won’t feel the same way you do right now. Once you're mated, it will be different, but till then, you're going to have to keep him from getting into a relationship with someone else. For you, no other guy holds the same importance as your mate, but for him, until you mate or even tell him about you, he will still seek a companion.” Dad looked at me with sadness in his eyes.

“Hunny, you are a woman. Female alpha. Male werewolves will find your dominating nature attractive. They will understand why you are the way you are. You have the instinct to stay in control, to want to be in control. Human males don’t like that. They don’t like the female being dominating and controlling. In werewolves having a high-rank female mate is appealing. In humans, it’s not. So you will have to keep in mind that you gotta level with him, sweetheart. You gotta lower your expectations and remind yourself that you have to give in sometimes instead of trying to control.”

Every word dad said rang in my ear. I knew what I had to do. I sat in my bathtub filled with hot water and lots of bubbles to relax my muscles. I felt like I was sitting on a cloud. I kept thinking about Blake and what dad said. Dad said he would find out more about Blake and Cassie and see what he can find out about his uncle.

While I was lost in my thought, a familiar scent filled my nose. I looked up, and Adam stood at the door of my bathroom.

“8 hours ago, I would have made some nasty dirty comment about you like this. But now, I won’t. Every time I even think of something, Cassie’s face pops into my mind, and I think would she appreciate me talking like this about another girl? Because hell, I wouldn’t want her talking or thinking about another boy,” he said casually.

“Wanna go get a drink?” I asked him. He nodded, knowing exactly what I meant.

“Well, go get dressed. Storm moon bar makes some really nice margaritas,” I said, and we burst out laughing.